Planning is an Essential Step in Saving the Rain Forest in Guatemala

Rain Forest Rescue donations helped The Nature Conservancy move forward with important planning and preservation activities throughout Guatemala. For example, a master plan was developed for the conservation and management of Mirador-Río Azul National Park and the Naachtun Dos Lagunas Biotopo Reserve. This plan included input from government agencies, non-governmental organizations, forestry-dependent communities located around the park, and the villages of Carmelita and Uaxactun. With nearly 400,000 acres, the area for which planning took place is the best conserved forest in the region, enjoying an extraordinary mix of natural and cultural treasures. Because of its geographic location, Mirador-Río Azul and Naachtun Dos Lagunas form what some call the heart of the Maya Forest, connecting protected areas in Guatemala, Mexico and Belize. The area also links the high, steamy forests of the Peten with low, dry forests of the Yucatán Peninsula to the north, harboring species from both types of habitats. In addition, the park contains “El Desierto,” Guatemala’s only scrub habitat and which is home to numerous endemic species.

Besides the natural treasures of this area are Mayan archaeological sites such as El Mirador, Nakbé, La Muralla, Río Azul, Kinal and others. In fact, sites in the western portion of the park form part of the “Reino Kan” (Serpent Kingdom) of ancient cities, possibly the first Mayan state. The cities are connected by yet another unique feature of this marvelous area—a network of ancient stone roads.

A master plan that was created last year will help conserve the core of the Maya Forest, including the humid Peten region and its cornucopia of life.

Other Rain Forest Rescue projects in Guatemala in the past year include:

• Outside the core protected areas of the rain forest are “multiple-use zones.” Although these areas are legally open to logging, they provide an important buffer to the habitat in adjoining protected areas. In an effort to provide regulations and sustainable management in line with conservation, The Nature Conservancy worked with local partner Fundación Naturaleza para la Vida to build a network of forest measurement plots. The trees in these plots were evaluated for growth, structure and composition. Collected data were shared with personnel who manage forest concessions and other decision-makers so they can begin implementing best forestry management practices. The new database of forest plot information is housed in the Park Service’s Evaluation and Monitoring Center and is of great importance for the future of park management.

• Another conservation activity was the creation and planning for privately-owned preserves in the Peten area. The local partner for this was Asociación de Reservas Naturales Privadas de Guatemala. To date, 12 private reserves have been declared in the Maya Forest, four of which have a master plan. Another 12 reserves are in the process of being declared, 11 are in exploratory stages, and 19 potential reserves have been identified. Not counting these final 19 potential reserves, the 35 declared and probable new reserves total nearly 15,000 acres.

• A study has begun to better understand the impacts of human and ecological activities on scarlet macaw colonies in the rain forest. Seven nesting sites in the Maya Biosphere Reserve were monitored, including video surveillance at five of them. Last year it was found that 29 pairs of these spectacular birds mated with a success rate of 50%, or 25 chicks that were raised and left the nest.

• Problems facing survival of wild macaws include predation as well as being hunted for their feathers or captured for the pet trade. Management of preserves and protection from illegal hunting are keys to the future of this marvelous bird. But what about natural predation? To help solve this problem, local managers have constructed artificial nest boxes that keep the chicks safe from falcons. Click here to see how this works.

• The beautiful scarlet macaw is a native in the rain forests of Central America

Now: Save 2,500 Square Feet of Rain Forest Today

Slashing and burning of forests leaves local communities vulnerable to fire. Newly trained fire brigades are prepared to respond. Photo © iStock.com/Brasil2.

The splendor of the Maya Rain Forest in Guatemala attracts tourists with its wealth of recreational activities. Photo © iStock.com/Steve Geer.

The beautiful scarlet macaw is a native in the rain forests of Central America.

Children in the San Juan Villanueva community proudly show off the radishes they helped cultivate in their schoolyard garden.

Residents of Pozo Azul are among the many in communities within Guatemala’s Sierra del Lacandon National Park who are benefitting from assistance in sustainable backyard agriculture that, in turn, helps protect the rain forest.